IMac audio output volume

got a 21.5 iMac late 2009 and noticed a huge difference in volume:
-from headphone output sound at minimum is almost harmful and definitely too loud at mid position( I'm using same cheap headset as before )
-from built-in iMac speakers volume looks normal (louder than with my g4 iMac, but never too loud).
Tried with sound prefs but the difference remains.
Is this normal ? I mean, in the new iMac the headphone output is (too) much better or there is a way to fix at the same level the two outputs ? or do I simply have a very Low volume from iMac speakers?(using headphones is now really fatiguing)

Mac OS X and the iMac are keeping two separate sound output volume settings. So the volume setting for the built-in speakers is saved separately from the volume setting for the headphones.
Just connect the headphones and set the volume as desired. Then, disconnect the headphones and set the volume of the built-in speakers as desired. When you connect the headphones, the volume will go back to whatever it was set at before, when you had the headphones connected. When you disconnect the headphones, the volume setting will go back to the previous setting for built-in speakers.
If the above does not work as I described, try resetting PRAM
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
Then, try it again.

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